Elevator assembly for a projection device

ABSTRACT

An elevator assembly for use with a projection device is provided. In one embodiment, the elevator assembly may include a foot extension configured to contact a reference surface, and a one-piece substantially planar bracket configured to support the foot extension and slidably couple the foot extension with a housing of the projection device, wherein the bracket enables the foot extension to extend and retract relative to the housing of the projection device. In some embodiments, the bracket may be configured to slidably couple the foot extension with the housing via a snap fit connection.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/475,244, which was filed onJun. 2, 2003. The disclosure of that application is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to elevator assemblies forelectronic devices, including projection devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way oflimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which thelike references indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary projection deviceincluding an elevator assembly according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is another schematic illustration of an exemplary projectiondevice including an elevator assembly.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the elevator assembly coupled to theinterior front wall of a projection device according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The elevator assembly is shown with a footextension in a lowered position.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 3A—3A of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the elevator assembly of FIG. 3 with thefoot extension in a lowered position.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the elevator assembly of FIG. 3 with thefoot extension in a raised position.

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the elevator assembly shown in FIG.3.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion of the elevator assembly coupledto the interior side wall according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is another schematic view of an exemplary elevator assemblyincluding cross sections of the elevator assembly according to anembodiment of the present disclosure at approximately 5:1 scale.

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8A in FIG. 8.

FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 8B—8B of FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 includes a plurality of views of the elevator assembly accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Projection devices may be used to project or display an image.Typically, projection devices include a lamp assembly, having a lamp orother light source, linked to a light engine or optical engine. Lightmay be directed from the light source through the light engine to adisplay surface. The lamp assembly typically includes a lamp mountconfigured to hold the lamp in a desired position and location withinthe projector.

In embodiments described below, a retractable support structure, such asan elevator assembly, for a projection device is provided. Adjustment ofthe angle of light from the projection lens may be beneficial due to theposition of the display surface. The elevator assembly may be adjustablesuch that a user may selectively position the pitch of the projectiondevice such that an image is projected to a desired position on thedisplay surface. In some embodiments, the elevator assembly is adaptedto minimize or reduce the amount of space required to provide anadjustable foot mechanism and/or to reduce airflow restriction therebyenabling improved cooling. The reduced-sized elevator assembly may bemore easily incorporated into today's small projection devices.Moreover, in some embodiments, and as discussed below, the elevatorassembly further may be adapted to be mounted to a surface without theuse of screws or other similar fasteners, thus enabling easierinstallation of the elevator assembly.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 1, a projection device 10 isillustrated. Projection device 10 may be adapted to project an image ona display surface, including, but not limited to, a screen, a wall, orother viewing surface or area.

In some embodiments, projection device 10 may be a projector orimage-generating device that is able to project an image onto a displaysurface. As used herein, a projection device or image-generating devicemay include any suitable display device or image projector, including,but not limited to, a digital projector, a liquid crystal display (LCD)projector, a digital light processing projector, etc. Moreover,projection device 10 may be configured as a front projection device or arear projection device.

In its most basic form, projection device 10 may include a light source(or lamp) 12 and an optical engine (or light engine) 14. Light source 12may be adapted to produce a beam of light and project the light towardsoptical engine 14, which may be configured to generate an image. In someembodiments, light source 12 may include a lamp positioned within areflector that is configured to direct most of the emitted light alongan optical path of the system. The light source may include any suitabletype of lamp. Examples include, but are not limited to, metal halidelamps and ultra-high-pressure (UHP) arc lamps, etc. The system also mayinclude one or more filters, such as an infrared (IR) or ultraviolet(UV) filter, to filter out unwanted parts of the emission spectra of thelamp.

Light produced from light source 12 may be channeled or directed alongan optical path through an interface tube or spacer 16 to optical engine14. Optical engine 14 may include filters, color wheels, lenses,mirrors, integrators, condensers, other optical elements, orcombinations thereof.

Typically, optical engine 14 includes an image-producing element 18, andother optics. Image-producing element 18 may include any suitableimage-generation device, including, but not limited to, a digitalmicromirror (DMD), an LCD panel, or any other suitable image source.Image-producing element 18 may be configured to project light toward oneor more mirrors or other optics, which, in turn, may be configured toreflect light toward a display surface.

Projection device 10 also may include one or more power sources 20.Power source 20 may be linked to light source 12, image-producingelement 18, and/or other components of projection device 10.

FIGS. 1 and 2 further illustrates the above components in an exemplaryembodiment. In addition, other features and components of projectiondevice 10 may be seen. For example, blower motor 22 is shown in FIGS. 1and 2 and includes a first blower portion 22A and a second blowerportion 22B. Blower motor 22 creates airflow through projection device10 illustrated by arrows 24. Airflow enters projection device 10 throughvarious inlet vents, such as, for example, front inlet vents 26positioned on sides of lens 28, inlet side vents 30 positioned on anopposite side from exit vents 32, and rear vents 34 positioned oppositeinlet vents 26. Blower portions 22A and 22B may be configured to forceairflow to exit projection device 10 through exit vents 32 positionedadjacent thereto. These ventilation paths may permit air to flow pastthe light source to provide cooling thereby permitting a reduced sizeprojection device.

Referring back to FIG. 1, projection device 10 may further include aselectively adjustable support means, such as an elevator assembly 100.Elevator assembly 100 may enable a user to selectively adjust the angleof the projection device relative to a reference surface. Suchadjustment capabilities may enable a user to selectively position animage on a display surface. For example, a user may be able to changethe vertical position of the projected image on a display surface. Thus,a user may adjust for the size of a projected image and the position ofthe projection device by use of elevator assembly 100.

Still referring to FIG. 1, elevator assembly 100 typically includes afoot extension 102 which may be adapted to contact the reference surface(or support surface) and further support projection device 100 at adesired angle from the reference surface. Elevator assembly 100 shouldbe robust enough to support the weight of projection device 10.Moreover, in at least some of the examples described herein, elevatorassembly 100 is robust enough to support additional arbitrary loading,such as dropping the unit, placing objects, such as books, bags or caseson the unit, etc. In one example, elevator assembly 100, and some or allof its components, may be constructed of plastic to reduce cost andweight. Alternatively, metals, composites, or other types of materialscould be used, if desired.

A portion of elevator assembly 100 may be contained within the body ofprojection device 10. In some embodiments, such as the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 2, elevator assembly 100 may be disposed along thefront interior portion of projection device 10. For example, elevatorassembly 100 may be actuated through a button on the top of theprojection device case. Although elevator assembly 100 may be positionedin any suitable location within the projection device, in someembodiments, elevator assembly 100 may be centrally disposed. Further,in another embodiment, elevator assembly 100 may be centrally disposedat the front interior portion of projection device 10. Thus, elevatorassembly 100 can be adapted to both lift and support the front middle ofprojection device 10 such that operation of elevator assembly 100results in both sides of projection device 10 being raised approximatelythe same distance from the reference surface.

As shown in more detail in the embodiment of FIG. 2, by positioningelevator assembly 100 in the front portion of projection device 10, anddue to the narrow profile of elevator assembly 100, it is possible tohave a smaller projector size, while also providing sufficient airflowto cool the projection device components. Further, this functionality isachieved while still providing a stable adjustment mechanism so that therelative height of the projection device can be easily adjusted tovarious positions by a user.

FIG. 3 further illustrates elevator assembly 100 attached to an interiorfront wall of projection device 10 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The exemplary elevator assembly includes fiveprimary components. Specifically, the illustrated elevator assemblyincludes a foot extension 102, a main bracket 104, a button 106, aspring 108 and a pawl 110.

Referring back to FIG. 3, bracket 104 may be a one-piece substantiallyplanar support. For example, in one embodiment, bracket 104 provides arigid structure with which the moveable parts of elevator assembly 100(pawl 110, foot extension 102, button 106 and spring 108) may beoperatively mounted. Each of the components is operatively connected toother components within the elevator assembly. For example, pawl 110 maybe retained in main bracket 104 by an integral pivot boss 130 such thatit engages the gear rack 132 of foot extension 102 (described in moredetail below). Pawl 110 may be spring-loaded to provide an engagingforce in the direction that engages the end of the pawl with gear rack132 of foot extension 102. Moreover, button 106 within elevator assembly100 may be operatively connected to pawl 110 such that depression ofbutton 106 releases the engagement of pawl 110 (by compressing pawl 110)with any one of a plurality of notches in gear rack 132 of the footextension 102. Release of foot extension 102 from pawl 110 enables footextension 102 to move upwards into a retracted position. Also, due tothe plurality of notches in gear rack 132, a variety of angles betweenprojection device 10 and a reference surface can be achieved.

Typically, pawl 110 is a spring-loaded pawl that may pivot upon contactwith button 106 of elevator assembly 100. For example, in someembodiments, pawl 110 may be c-shaped and provide spring tension suchthat upon release of button 106, pawl 110 rebounds into one of thenotches. Although a c-shaped pawl is disclosed, it should be appreciatedthat other configurations for pawl 110 are contemplated and are withinthe scope of the disclosure.

A spring 108 may also be provided. Spring 108 may be operativelyattached to button 106 and main bracket 104 such that button 106 isconfigured to adequately recover from depression to an originalposition. For example, button 106 may operatively engage pawl 110 at asingle location (152, see also FIG. 9), or at multiple locations. In oneexample, spring 108 may be a coiled metal spring, although other springtypes can be used.

Further, spring 108 can have a similar spring rate as the effectivespring rate of pawl 110 (e.g., in the direction of compression aboutboss 130), so that smooth depression of the button is possible. In otherwords, by providing parallel acting spring forces (form coil spring 108and pawl 110, respectively), potential skewing of button 106 is reducedthat might otherwise occur if the effective spring force were off-centercreating a mechanical moment twisting button 106 in its guides 134 and136 (in main bracket 104).

As briefly described above, pawl 110 includes various features which aredescribed in more detail below with regard to FIG. 6 (which furtherillustrates the operative relationship between pawl 110 and footextension 102). In particular, pawl 110 includes an integrated first arm140 and a second integrated arm 142, such as a curved leaf spring. Firstarm 140 may be adapted to engage notches within gear rack 132 of footextension 102. For example first arm 140 may include an engagementportion that extends into a notch and is retained by the upper surfaceof the notch (also referred to herein as teeth).

In other words, foot extension 102 may include a ratchet portion withnotches adapted to receive the engagement portion of pawl 110 such thatfoot extension 102 is retained in a selected position. For example,FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate foot extension 102 in a lowermost position.Other positions may be selected such that the engagement portion of pawl110 is received in other grooves in the extension portion. For example,FIG. 5 illustrates foot extension 102 in the uppermost raised (orretracted) position. When foot extension 102 is in the uppermost raisedposition, the pawl engages the lowest notch on the foot extension. Itshould be appreciated that any number of notches or similar features maybe used to provide the selective positioning described above.

Continuing with FIG. 6, actuation of button 106 depresses first arm 140to disengage it from the notches. In other words, second arm 142 of pawl110 is retained by a surface of main bracket 104 such that depression ofbutton 106 causes first arm 140 to pivot about the axis boss 130, andcompress pawl 110. The c-shape of pawl 110 assists in allowing thecompression to occur with a desired amount of compression forceresulting in a desired amount of movement of first arm 140. As shown inFIG. 6, pawl 110 has a thicker upper portion with an end that engagesgear rack 132, and a thinner cross-section at the c-shaped end, and thelower portion. By varying the thickness in this way, pawl 110 bendsabout the c-shaped end to provide the desired motion enabling the end ofthe upper portion to disengage rack 132 by further compressing pawl 110.

It should be appreciated that the foot extension 102 is adapted to slidealong a track 116 (indicated in FIG. 3). In some embodiments, track 116may be composed of one or more ribs within main bracket 104. However,other track or sliding configurations are possible. In this particularexample, two parallel ribs are used and are illustrated in more detailwith regard to FIG. 8, for example. As shown in FIG. 8, the two parallelribs provide an alignment groove, preventing the foot extension fromslipping in a lateral direction. The track 116 further may providereinforcement to the foot extension such that the foot extension is ableto adequately support the projection device. Thus, the ribs maysynergistically operate as strengthening and guiding ribs.

It further should be noted that foot extension 102 may be a gravity-fedfoot extension and limit stops may be provided to prevent the footextension from slipping out from main bracket 104. For example and asindicated in FIG. 3, the foot extension may include one or moreprotrusions or other features, such as protrusion 112, adapted to engagea portion 114 of the main bracket. Protrusion 112 may operate to preventthe unintentional release of the foot extension from the foot assembly.

FIG. 6 also illustrates first track 160 and second track 162 of bracket104 which retain extension shafts 164 and 166, respectively, of button106. In one example, shafts 164 and 166 are rectangular incross-section, although they may also be circular, if desired. Further,shaft 164 includes an extension 168 at its end to prevent button 106from coming out of bracket 104 after assembly. Further, track 160 mayinclude a retaining clip feature 170 for retaining shaft 164, while alsoenabling snap fit installation of button 106 in bracket 104.

Elevator assembly 100, as described herein, has a very small profilethat requires a minimum amount of the footprint of projection device 10.Such a minimal profile enables the elevator assembly to be used insmall-sized projection devices and other electronic devices. Moreover,as described, the thin foot extension and the pawl with integral springand short vertical actuator is configured to simplify and enablereduction in space requirements for the elevator assembly within adevice.

Turning now to main bracket 104, as shown, main bracket 104 may besecured to the projection device housing 150 using a snap-fitconfiguration. Specifically, as indicated in FIG. 3, multiple retentionfeatures may be used to secure main bracket 104 to the interior ofhousing wall 150 of projection device 10. The retention features ofbracket 104 may mate with features on wall 150, which may operate toretain main bracket 104 securely within projection device 10 without theuse of screws, pins, etc. Although, in one embodiment, such screws orother fasteners can be used in addition to the snap-fit connection, ifdesired.

For example, in one embodiment, the main bracket may include multiplealignment features or tabs, including, but not limited to, a gross orcoarse alignment tab 118 and a fine alignment tab 120. Additionally, oneor more supplemental alignment features may be provided, such as feature122. This supplemental feature may prevent or reduce movement fromside-to-side. Each of these features mates with corresponding pockets inbracket 104. By having a coarse and fine alignment tab, it is possibleto provide easier assembly and construction of the projection device.

One or more of the features of the elevator assembly may havespecialized joints. For example, main bracket 104 may further include analignment feature along one or more sides of the bracket. For example,main bracket 104 may include structures, which enable main bracket 104to be dovetailed to corresponding structures molded onto the interiorwall 150 of projection device 10. For example, as illustrated in moredetail in FIG. 7, the main bracket may include one or more tenons, suchas a partial fan tenon 124, adapted to be inserted within a mortise orgroove 126 formed by a tail or portion of a tail 128 extending frominterior wall 150 of projection device 10 to form an interlocking joint.Such a joint is configured to securely hold the main bracket, and thus,the entire elevator assembly, in place relative to the wall of theprojection device. Such a joint may eliminate the need to use screw-likedevices or additional fasteners to install and secure the elevatorassembly. By eliminating the screw-like devices and other metal parts,the elevator assembly may be positioned such that it abuts or isadjacent to sensitive components, such as high-voltage portions of apower supply, etc. Moreover, in some embodiments, main bracket 104further may provide electrical isolation for the enclosure from thepower supply components, such as power source 20.

Other portions of the main bracket may be dovetailed. For example,another exemplary portion of the main bracket that may be dovetailed isshown in the cross-section of FIG. 3A. It should be appreciated thatother portions of the main bracket may be dovetailed to enhance the snapfit of the main bracket.

Assembly of elevator assembly 100 within a projection device may besimplified by the configuration described herein. For example, assemblyof elevator assembly 100 may include positioning of pawl 110, spring108, button 106 and foot extension 102 within main bracket 104 andsnapping the main bracket onto the mating wall 150. Screws do not needto be subsequently positioned within the bracket or other components,although they can be used if desired.

Also, the above dovetailed attachment may be useful when used with thefine and course tabs 118 and 120. Specifically, the dovetailedattachment does not require precise alignment along the directionindicated by arrows 160 of FIG. 7. However, tabs 118 and 120 providesuch alignment, thereby allowing accurate, yet easy, assembly. In otherwords, accurate assembly of elevator assembly 100 into projection devicewall 150 can be achieved without difficult and time consuming alignmentrequired by previous approaches.

FIG. 8 also illustrates several examples of snap fit joints in differentplanes of bracket 104. Specifically, FIG. 8B (section 8B to 8B) shows afirst dovetailed joint at 810 (formed by tenon 124), and FIG. 8A(section 8A to 8A) shows a second dovetailed joint at 812. Since thejoints are in different planes, they may act to secure bracket 104 toprojection device 10 and reduce movement in multiple directions. Forexample, joint 810 may reduce lateral movement of elevator assembly 100,while joint 812 may reduce vertical movement of elevator assembly 100.

Referring back to FIG. 6, the planar structure of elevator assembly 100may be understood. In the depicted embodiment, pawl 110 is locatedadjacent the upper portion of foot extension 102 in a common plane.Further, button 106 is located adjacent the upper portion of footextension 102 and pawl 110 in this common plane. In this way, a narrowprofile can be achieved for assembly 100 that uses a minimum or reducedamount of the footprint of projection device 10.

FIGS. 8-12 further illustrate an exemplary elevator assembly.Specifically FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an exemplary elevatorassembly including cross sections of the elevator assembly 100. FIG. 8identifies several snap fit joints that may be used to assembly elevatorassembly 100 to projection device 10, including at 810 and 812. Asdiscussed above, bracket 104 may include one or more tenons, such as apartial fan tenon 816, adapted to be inserted within groove (not shown)formed by a tail or portion of a tail extending from interior wall 150of projection device 10 to form an interlocking joint. To ease assemblyof the elevator assembly 100, the portion of bracket 104 forming thetenon 816 may include a hole 814 to enable tenon 816 to bend easierrelative to bracket 104. In one example, the ease of assembly may befurther enhanced by supplemental alignment features 122 which acts toalign tenon 816 in a desired location during the snap fit installation.Further, other tenons may be used to form additional joints, if desired.

FIG. 9 includes a plurality of views of the elevator assembly accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Although the present exemplary embodiments illustrate the use of anelevator assembly in a projection device, it should be appreciated thatthe elevator assembly may be used in any suitable device that may beselectively positioned at a variety of angles relative to a supportsurface. For example, the elevator assembly may be used in electronicdevices, such as televisions, display monitors, radios, speakers, etc.

Although the present disclosure includes specific embodiments, specificembodiments are not to be considered in a limiting sense, becausenumerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the presentdisclosure includes all novel and nonobvious combinations andsubcombinations of the various elements, features, functions, and/orproperties disclosed herein. The following claims particularly point outcertain combinations and subcombinations regarded as novel andnonobvious. These claims may refer to “an” element or “a first” elementor the equivalent thereof. Such claims should be understood to includeincorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring norexcluding two or more such elements. Other combinations andsubcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties maybe claimed through amendment of the present claims or throughpresentation of new claims in this or a related application. Suchclaims, whether broader, narrower, equal, or different in scope to theoriginal claims, also are regarded as included within the subject matterof the present disclosure.

1. A projection device comprising: a light source; an optical enginereceiving light produced from the light source and configured togenerate an image; a ventilation path configured to permit air to flowpast the light source to provide cooling to the device; and an elevatorassembly configured to support the device and sized to reduceinterference with the flow of air through the ventilation path, whereinthe elevator assembly comprises: a foot extension configured to contacta reference surface, said foot extension having a rack; a bracketconfigured to support the foot extension and slidably couple the footextension with said housing of the projection device via a snap fitconnection, wherein said bracket includes at least one tenon adapted tobe coupled to a groove in said housing to form said snap fit connection;and a pawl adapted to be actuated by a user, said pawl engaged with saidrack of said foot extension in a spring-loaded orientation forcing anend of said pawl towards said rack.
 2. A projection device comprising: alight source; an optical engine receiving light produced from the lightsource and configured to generate an image; a ventilation pathconfigured to permit air to flow past the light source to providecooling to the device; and an elevator assembly configured to supportthe device and sized to reduce interference with the flow of air throughthe ventilation path, wherein the elevator assembly comprises: a footextension configured to contact a reference surface, said foot extensionhaving a rack; a bracket configured to support the foot extension andslidably couple the foot extension with said housing of the projectiondevice; and a pawl adapted to be actuated by a user, said pawl engagedwith said rack of said foot extension in a spring-loaded orientationforcing an end of said pawl towards said rack, wherein said pawl has atleast a C-shape portion that provides said spring-loaded force.
 3. Aprojection device comprising: a light source; an optical enginereceiving light produced from the light source and configured togenerate an image; a ventilation path configured to permit air to flowpast the light source to provide cooling to the device; and an elevatorassembly configured to support the device and sized to reduceinterference with the flow of air through the ventilation path, whereinthe elevator assembly comprises: a foot extension configured to contacta reference surface, said foot extension having a rack; a bracketconfigured to support the foot extension and slidably couple the footextension with said housing of the projection device, wherein saidbracket includes a first coarse alignment tab and a second finealignment tab; and a pawl adapted to be actuated by a user, said pawlengaged with said rack of said foot extension in a spring-loadedorientation forcing an end of said pawl towards said rack.